


Blooming Love

by sunnyhyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Heartbreak, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 23:11:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20920196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyhyuck/pseuds/sunnyhyuck
Summary: Where cherry blossom petals led young Renjun to love





	Blooming Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first work up on ao3 so I hope you'll leave kudos and nice comments ❤️ I wrote this short story for #00FFTOBER on twt and decided to post it here too ^^

Spring 2022

Spring. Most people would picture clear blue skies, flowers in bloom or cherry blossom petals floating through the air. But for Renjun, the first picture that comes to mind is Jaemin with his stupid pink hair he had a few years ago. 

… 

Spring 2018

_ "When did you dye your hair?!"  _

_ "Calm down, I just wanted a new look! Do you like it?" _

_ "Like it? I mean… you look like a peach." _

_ "I'm  _ ** _your_ ** _ cute peach." The cheeky boy raised his eyebrows teasingly.  _

_ Renjun, completely aware of how close their faces are, just huffed and shoved the other boys face away. As Jaemin let out his hearty laugh, Renjun tore his eyes away from the stupid(-ly pretty) boy and quickly adjusted his hoodie in an attempt to hide the blush quickly creeping up his neck.  _

_ "After seeing you go blonde, I thought maybe I should try something different too. Now look at us, we're such a power couple with these looks."  _

_ The other boy almost spat out his tea. The word ' _ ** _couple_ ** _ ' threw him off and he just couldn't control the blush that continued to intensify. He knew Jaemin didn't mean it in  _ ** _that_ ** _ way, but somehow knowing that left a tiny part of him feeling disappointed.  _

_ "Just shut up and hurry Nana, we're gonna miss the movie." _

… 

Spring 2022

Renjun shook his head to clear his thoughts. Who knew a simple hair colour change could affect him so much? It wasn't even the first time Jaemin had dyed his hair, or looked spectacularly handsome, but that memory remains fresh in his mind. 

He hugged his legs to his chest as he sat on that picnic mat and admired the view. The crystal clear blue skies, the fully bloomed cherry blossoms decorated the trees all over the park and the green of the grass painted a peaceful scenery. 

Such a shame that even with such a perfect view, all his mind could think of was the pretty boy who once had pink hair. 

...

Spring 2006

_ "MOMMY! LOOK! THE FLOWERS ARE SO PRETTY!! " Little Huang Renjun squealed with glee. _

_ His mother, busy setting up their table, looked over to giggle at her silly son. Spring had just set in -- the flowers have bloomed, it's no longer dreadfully cold and the family had just finished unpacking the last of their many boxes. What a nice day to be out with the family, especially after such a stressful move.  _

_ Renjun stood in place, just a bit away from the table and looked up in awe. He's sure he's never seen anything quite this beautiful, in his whole 6 years of life that is. _

_ "Huang Renjun! Don't run off too far." His father reminds him. _

_ Little Renjun looks back to his parents with a smile and starts his journey (with his father trailing not far behind). _

_ First, he followed the path and stared at whatever he could find. The sky, the river, flowers and bushes. He kept stopping just to take a closer look to feed his curious mind. Next, he managed to spot his father and chased him down. His laughter was ringing through the air as he caught his dad and gave him the biggest hug.  _

_ "I caught you! I saw you follow me!" He giggled as he tackled his father. _

_ The most interesting part of his little journey was when he started to run. Seeing the cherry blossom petals floating in the sky made him feel free and all he wanted to do was to catch the petals in his hands. _

_ Zooming past others on the pathway, he kept his hands up and grabbing at the air in hopes of catching something. His father just silently watched as his son was having the time of his life when — _

_ "OUCH!" _

_ "AHH!" _

_ When little Renjun opened his eyes, they met soft brown ones that looked close to tears. _

_ "No no, don't cry! I'm sorry!" He quickly got off the boy and dusted them both off.  _

_ Seeing the new boy seemingly in shock, Renjun grabbed his hands and checked him for any injuries.  _

_ "Does it hurt? I'm sorry!" Guilty tears were welling up in the little ones eyes.  _

_ When he was met with silence and confusion from the other, he realised he couldn't understand him. The other boy must have realised this too as he started to gesture to Renjun's left palm.  _

_ That was when Renjun finally noticed the cut he got from the fall.  _

_ "It doesn't hurt… I'm Renjun." He extended his uninjured hand to shake.  _

_ The other boy pouted instead.  _

_ "We need to wash your hand." He mumbled as he grabbed Renjun to find his mother to get a band-aid.  _

_ Cold water run from the tap in the toilet and Renjun watched in silence as this new boy was focused on treating his small wound. The initial burn from the water didn't even phase him as he curiously studied the other boy's face.  _

_ "I'm Jaemin. I'm sorry I ran into you." The pout made its return on his face.  _

_ Renjun let out a small giggle at the sight of that causing Jaemin to look up, confused by his reaction. As the band-aid was applied, Renjun took his hand out of the other's and admired the little bunny cartoons on it.  _

_ "I'm okay! Thank you, Jaemin." Renjun gave him a big thumbs up to try and cheer the boy up. _

_ Even though they couldn't speak the same language, the two boys could understand each other perfectly. That was how Renjun made his first friend after the move.  _

...

Spring 2022

A dog barking brought Renjun's mind back to where they were in the present. The day was passing by so quickly, yet the food was still untouched. He considered packing up and leaving but something told him Jaemin wouldn't leave him like this. 

“He didn’t forget… he’ll be here, like always.” Renjun got up and decided it was time for a walk.

… 

Fall 2017

_ “Hyuckie… He just… He broke up with me.” A tear-stained 17 year-old boy opened his bedroom door to greet Jaemin.  _

_ “Junnie--” _

_ “Save it, everyone saw it coming. I knew he was too good to be true.” _

_ The small boy felt the side of his bed dip as his best friend laid down next to him. The anger was bubbling inside of him but the tears never stopped streaming. In the silence, Jaemin simply pulled Renjun to his chest and let him cry it out. _

_ His body shook as he cried into Jaemin’s chest but with Jaemin’s warmth and soothing touch, he calmed down. The acceptance seeped in. _

_ “Huang Renjun.” _

_ The firmness of Jaemin's voice scared him a little. His best friend never liked to take things too seriously, but looking at him with his jaw and fists clenched, steady yet heavy breathing and the sharp glint in his eyes, anyone would be able to tell he was furious. _

_ “Noone saw this coming, you two were always all over each other. And trust me,  _ ** _you_ ** _ were too good for him..." He paused. "Do you know why he did it though?”  _

_ “He kinda… realised his true feelings for Jeno… And he said that he did love me… at some point… but… ah forget it." Small hiccups slipped out of him as he ran his sleeves over his face to clean himself up.  _

_ Renjun heard Jaemin mutter a small, "I'm gonna kill him." under his breath as he hugged him harder and let the boy pour his heart out. _

_ "Hyuck still had his suspicions about you and me…" Renjun felt the other boy take in a sharp breath, "and he just said that maybe we weren’t made for each other like we thought we were… He really just took back his words about us being soulmates.” He felt the tears coming again. _

_ "Baby… Feelings are messy, alright? I know the time you two spent together was genuine. Let's just keep this as a good memory, and hope that he and Jeno could sort things out. As for you, you'll find someone who'll treasure you just as much, if not, more than I do. I'm sure of it."  _

_ By the time Renjun was done letting his frustrations out, he was half-asleep, words slurring, draped over Jaemin's chest with their legs intertwined as Jaemin held him close and rubbed his arm comfortingly. _

_ The room was cold from the open window but neither of them wanted to get up. As his eyelids drooped, Renjun grabbed Jaemin's free hand. The steady heartbeat of his best friend, the warmth of his touch and his soothing words made him feel a lot better. He felt a light peck on his forehead, and whether he had dreamt of it or not, a smile managed to break out on his face and he nuzzled closer to Jaemin. _

_ After a while, the older boy, exhausted from the emotions, had finally succumbed to sleep as the younger of the two sang his favourite songs to him, with occasional forehead kisses in between. _

… 

Spring 2022

He didn't realise how far he had walked but he knew he should be heading back. Jaemin could be waiting for him.

_ Or Jaemin could still be with Yangyang and he won't ever come back for your pathetic ass. _

Renjun sighed at the thought. 

"Don't get your hopes up too high, that way you won't be so disappointed." 

And with that, the boy trudged back to his place under the tree where he and Jaemin spent their spring days together. 

_ …  _

Winter 2020

_ "Junnie, can you do me a favour?" Jaemin asked on a chilly winter day.  _

_ The chinese boy just nodded without looking away from his homework.  _

_ "I wanna ask Yangyang out on a date." _

_ Renjun's pen stopped mid-sentence as the boy went over what he had just heard. Yangyang was another close friend of his, but he never expected him to be Jaemin's type. Jaemin had never shown any special interest towards him either. Or maybe Renjun just never realised it.  _

_ "Sure, let's get you your boy." _

_ But his smile couldn't even reach his eyes. _

_ …  _

_ "We did it! I kissed him and he said yes! I got a boyfriend!" The blonde boy excitedly rambled on about his date the first thing that Saturday morning.  _

_ "I'm proud of you! No longer Mr 'I've been single for life'."  _

_ Warmth enveloped his entire body as Jaemin clung onto him tight. He kept repeating how thankful he was for Renjun who led him to Yangyang in the first place and all the small boy could do was smile and nod.  _

_ …  _

Spring 2022

As expected, the mat was as empty as he left it. Renjun glanced at his phone for the first time in hours. 

_ 18:23 _

He has 27 minutes to get here. 

27 minutes before Renjun walks away from him forever.

_ …  _

Winter 2022

_ "Renjun, what the FUCK?" Jaemin pushed the boy away from him.  _

_ "Oh fuck, I didn't mean that. No, I did. But, fuck, that wasn't supposed to happen…Not like this… I don't… I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. Nana, please… I'm so damn sorry… Don't—" His apology just poured out of his mouth.  _

_ "No. I… God fucking dammit Renjun. I can't think, not right now." Jaemin reached for his things and was ready to leave.  _

_ "Nana, it won't happen again—" _

_ "Renjun. Give me space. You need to sort out your feelings and I'm going back to my  _ ** _boyfriend_ ** _ to tell him all about this." And with that, Jaemin was out of the door.  _

_ 'Stupid. You're such a fucking clown. WHY DID YOU DO THAT? You could hold it for an entire year but today you just… snapped.' _

_ Renjun shut the door and settled on the couch. He fell asleep that night with tears soaking his pillow and guilt eating away at him _

_ 'I ruined our friendship.' _

_ …  _

Spring 2022

It's been three weeks since. 

And there's 5 more minutes left.

No calls, no texts. Just the hope that Jaemin would still come here, for tradition's sake. That hope was pretty much lost.

The small boy didn't realise the tears trailing down his cheeks until he felt a thumb wipe them away. He didn't even need to look to see who it was. 

"You're late." His voice was creaky. 

Jaemin gave him a small smile and settled down next to him in silence. 

Renjun had prepared for this, but now that he's really here, he just couldn't spit it out. As he opened his mouth to star, Jaemin beat him to it.

"I'm sorry."

Renjun's head snapped to him. 

" _ You're  _ sorry? I'm the one who fucked up."

"I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier."

He looked on in bewilderment, staring, as Jaemin struggled to find the correct words. 

"What  _ are _ you trying to tell me?"

"That I love you."

When met with a confused Renjun, he explains himself.

"I  _ love  _ you. I always have, you just never… saw it. And I guess, I just never had the guts to admit it to myself."

The older boy's eyes soften and he reaches for Jaemin's hand. He knows what Renjun was gonna ask next. 

_ Yangyang.  _

The one who always took notice of how Jaemin's eyes lit up at the mention of Renjun. The one who could see the shy smiles from Renjun when Jaemin teased him. The one who could see how one looked at the other with so much longing. Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to let go of his boyfriend. 

_ …  _

Winter 2022

_ When Jaemin crashed into his dorm that day, dishevelled and disoriented, he didn't know what to expect.  _

_ "Renjun kissed me. I didn't kiss him back, I swear. I just wanted you to know, please don't be mad at him." And he felt his heart being torn to shreds.  _

_ "You love him so much" was the first thing he could say.  _

_ Before Jaemin could even ask for an explanation, he jumped right into it.  _

_ "Even when he's done you wrong, you're protecting him. You didn't kiss him back not because you didn't want to. It's because you couldn't." His words didn't carry any malice to them, but they still hit Jaemin right where it hurt the most. Yangyang started to make his way to the crying boy.  _

_ "Baby…" _

_ "Jaemin, stop." He laid a hand on the boy's chest. It was time to let him know.  _

_ "I know you love him. Don't lie to yourself anymore… And he loves you. He really does. You're both just too blind to see it. And while I still love you… and I know you loved me too, this isn't gonna work. Your feelings won't go away just because I'm here." Yangyang cupped Jaemin's face and gave him one last kiss.  _

_ It was a teary kiss. Both boys were crying, their hands tangled up in each other's hair, savouring each other in that moment. This was it. All of their unspoken feelings and all of the hurt poured out into this final farewell.  _

_ They finally separated, but kept their foreheads pressed to each other's. Jaemin was the first to speak.  _

_ "Liu Yangyang, I never deserved you. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I did this to you. But I know you'll find someone way better than me. I'm really sorry." His glassy eyes just made it harder for Yangyang to be angry.  _

_ "I'm not mad at either of you. You broke my heart, but I saw it coming. I just hope… You'll treat him right. And I'm sure he'll treat you better than I ever can." When Jaemin sobbed harder, he just pulled him into his chest and held him together.  _

_ Goodbye Jaemin. _

… 

Spring 2022

Jaemin squeezed Renjun's hand as he explained what had happened. 

"Yangyang… You just pulled a Hyuck on Yangyang… "

All Jaemin could do was nod. 

"You settled things, on that day itself and you never thought to call me or text me? I was fucking miserable Jaemin!" He started to raise his voice a little. 

The blonde boy was taken aback.

"I had to think through what I was gonna say Renjun. You don't think I was miserable too these past three weeks?"

"You could've come back to me and we both wouldn't have been miserable!"

"Well dumbass, I couldn't just stroll into your house and go, 'hey I dumped my boyfriend cuz I realised I had a big fat crush on you since I was 17', now can I?"

The tension was thick in the air. Both boys yelling at each other over what should've or could've been, until Renjun snaps. 

"I just… I was scared, okay? I was scared that I was going to lose you to Yangyang forever. I was scared I ruined our 16 years of friendship. And I was scared I'd never be able to tell you properly, I love you." He burst into tears as those three words finally left his mouth. 

This left Jaemin speechless. The confession wasn't supposed to turn out like this. Today was never meant to turn out like this. 

Renjun tried to get up to walk away but he felt a grip on his wrist. There was a hushed "I love you too" and a hand tilting his face before Jaemin's sweet lips crashed onto his. 

All those years of longing had led to this. From when Jaemin first realised he loved Renjun, that autumn evening when he held the heartbroken boy in his arms, to Renjun realising that he was jealous of Yangyang for dating Jaemin, to Renjun losing control and kissing Jaemin weeks ago. 

As Jaemin pulled the other into his lap to continue the kiss, the other squealed with glee. A shower of petals flew through the air and Renjun giggled as a few landed on Jaemin's head. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm happy I chased these petals all those years ago... They led me to you." The boy reached over to grab the petals that were stuck in Jaemin's hair. 

"You tried to catch these petals back then, but instead you caught my heart." 

The cheesiness made Renjun gag as Jaemin let out a laugh. He admired the sweet boy in his lap and caught his lips in another kiss. 

_ Gosh… finally.  _

With the flower petals raining down on them and their bodies locked in each other's embrace, their love was in full bloom.

**Author's Note:**

> Winter 2022 is not a typo - Winter in Korea lasts up to Feb so the events in this happens around March in the same year


End file.
